Publisher: Archaia
Story and art: David Petersen
The volume of the series serves as a prequel to the previous two. The tells the story of Celanawe's mission...wait this is fantasy, so it is a quest. Celanawe's quest to retrieve the mythical Black Axe. As a bonus we learn how to pronounce Celanawe's name. “Khel-en-awe” for those wondering.
As all quests it takes Celanawe and his party of 2 other mice, to a faraway land. They meet some colorful creatures along the way. Celanawe can't get the axe back until he slays a great monster. Which is another part of the hero's quest. Because they are mice, all of their battles are pretty epic, since they are dwarfed by all of the other creatures.
David Petersen's world that he has built up is simply wonderful. There are a lot of little details to pour over, and larger scenes to enjoy, like the mice harvesting honey. Petersen has spent a lot of time on the history of the Guardmice and the world they live in.
The extras at the end are terrific as well. There is an epilogue to the story that answered the one question I had remaining. You get the usual pin-ups, but you also get maps, details of a couple the towns, a history on the early, important matriarchs.
It is billed as an all-ages comic, and I can see that. The art reminds me of illustrations of old children's book and definitely not your normal comic book art. Highly recommended.
Replies
Thanks for the review, Trav -- you've certainly whetted my appetite!